Roaming subscriber to be charged for massive bill

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Colombo Fraud Investigations Bureau (CFIB) had commenced an investigation into a fraud committed against a mobile phone service providing company by a subscriber after setting a record bill of Rs.3.2 million using roaming facilities in less than 24 hours.

The mobile phone service providing company had complained to the CFIB that the suspect, Mujahideen Mohammed Musharaf, had defaulted a mobile phone bill amounting to Rs. 3.2 million after the company offered roaming facilities to the suspect after obtaining a Rs. 10,000 deposit on or around 1 January 2013. The company further alleged that the suspect had approximately taken 571 telephone calls in less than 24 hours, setting the massive bill.

When the case came up before Colombo Fort Magistrate, defence counsel informed Court that the SIM card offered to his client had been given to a relative of his living in Italy and as such he should be responsible for the offence. He told Court that his client had never used the SIM and thereby he was not liable for the offence.

However, the company maintained that it offered the roaming facilities to the subscriber on an agreement that the subscriber would not entrust the SIM to a third party and he would not use it for illegal activities.

Having heard submissions, Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered CFIB that a charge sheet be filed against the suspect on 1 October. The suspect, a resident of Digana, is currently out on bail. The CFIB is conducting further investigations into the incident.